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What Is Your Grandpa's Cousin to You?

By Judy Kilpatrick

Your grandpa's first cousin is your first cousin, too, twice removed.

Your grandpa's cousin is your cousin, twice removed. Kinship relationships can seem a bit complicated when you start figuring relationships other than those in your direct line. But if you think about relationships in terms of generations, it helps keep the cousins straight. Think of yourself and your siblings as one generation, your parents and their siblings as another generation -- once removed from your generation, and your grandparents and their siblings as a generation -- twice removed.

Cousin Relationships

The children of the siblings of your parents -- your aunts and uncles -- are your first cousins. The children of your parent's aunts and uncles are your parent's first cousins and your first cousins one generation removed, or once removed. The children of your grandpa's siblings are your grandpa's first cousins and your first cousins two generations removed, or twice removed. The same principle applies to your grandpa's second, third and fourth cousins, which are your second, third or fourth cousins twice removed.

References

About the Author

For Judy Kilpatrick, gardening is the best mental health therapy of all. Combining her interests in both of these fields, Kilpatrick is a professional flower grower and a practicing, licensed mental health therapist. A graduate of East Carolina University, Kilpatrick writes for national and regional publications.